Votes For School & Character Education
At Sunbury Manor School, we use Votes For Schools as a powerful tool to develop character alongside academic achievement.
Each week, students explore carefully selected, age-appropriate current affairs topics that connect key themes to the wider world. Each week students will have a Votes For School assembly and tutor session. Through structured resources and balanced information, pupils are encouraged to think critically, question thoughtfully and consider multiple perspectives before forming their own views. This strengthens their ability to analyse information, challenge assumptions and engage with complex issues in a mature and informed way.
Tutor discussions play a central role in creating a safe and respectful environment. Students practise active listening, articulate their ideas clearly and learn how to disagree constructively. They develop empathy by hearing experiences and viewpoints different from their own, building mutual respect and social awareness across year groups.
The democratic voting element gives every student a voice. By participating in regular votes, pupils experience democracy in action and understand the value of fairness, representation and accountability. They see that collective decisions are shaped by individual contributions, reinforcing personal responsibility and civic engagement.
Votes For Schools also supports our wider personal development and SMSC provision by promoting core values such as respect, responsibility, integrity, resilience, tolerance and open-mindedness. Topics often encourage reflection on moral and ethical questions, helping students to consider the impact of their choices on others and on society.
Through this programme, we are equipping our students not only with knowledge, but with the character, confidence and compassion they need to thrive as responsible, engaged citizens in modern Britain and the wider world.